Bill O’Reilly Settled $32 Million Sexual Harassment Claim Prior To 4-Year Contract Extension With Fox News

By Greg Evans, Deadline
Published Oct. 21, 2017, 2:51 p.m. ET

Bill O’Reilly struck a $32 million sexual harassment payment with a Fox News network analyst before his contract with 21st Century Fox was granted a four-year extension, according to a bombshell New York Times story posted on the news organization’s website today.

Fox now admits they knew all about it, kind of.

“When the company renewed Bill O’Reilly’s contract in February, it knew that a sexual harassment lawsuit had been threatened against him by Lis Wiehl, but was informed by Mr. O’Reilly that he had settled the matter personally, on financial terms that he and Ms. Wiehl had agreed were confidential and not disclosed to the company,” said parent company 21st Century Fox in a statement today of the now pink slipped and top rated host. “His new contract, which was made at a time typical for renewals of multi-year talent contracts, added protections for the company specifically aimed at harassment, including that Mr. O’Reilly could be dismissed if the company was made aware of other allegations or if additional relevant information was obtained in a company investigation,” 21CF added. “The company subsequently acted based on the terms of this contract,” they said of what became O’Reilly’s well paid out firing after 20-years in April of this year from the already deeply tainted once Roger Ailes run cabler.

As other accusations first about Ailes and then others swirled around FNC before, during and since, O’Reilly was finally canned after it was revealed that about $13 million had been paid out to settle other sexual harassment claims against him over the years. After some publicly poised hesitation on the host’s part, O’Reilly’s new $20 million and more a year contract was inked this spring with at least some knowledge of the various allegations – now, clearly including this latest revelation.

Now podcasting, O’Reilly has said that the truth will come out on why he was really fired but no fire has emerged from his smoke – and likely less so now.

According to the NYT, O’Reilly’s actions in the Wiehl matter took the form of “allegations of repeated harassment, a nonconsensual sexual relationship and the sending of gay pornography and other sexually explicit material to her, according to the people briefed on the matter.”

In trying to contain yet another scandal at the much scandalized, many times publicly remorseful and much sued FNC, the parent company today also reacted to the latest revelations with more promises that things are getting better.

“21st Century Fox has taken concerted action to transform Fox News, including installing new leaders, overhauling management and on-air talent, expanding training, and increasing the channels through which employees can report harassment or discrimination,” Saturday’s 21CF statement asserted. “These changes come from the top, with Lachlan and James Murdoch personally leading the effort to promote civility and respect on the job, while maintaining the Company’s long-held commitment to a diverse, inclusive and creative workplace.”

The Times story reports that the settlement was at least the sixth “and by far the largest” made by either O’Reilly or 21 Century Fox to settle harassment claims. “Despite that record,” the Times writes, “21st Century Fox began contract negotiations with Mr. O’Reilly, and in February granted him a four-year extension that paid $25 million a year.”

The $32 million settlement was made last January, six months after the ouster of Fox News chairman Roger Ailes over sexual harassment allegations.

“Although the deal has not been previously made public,” write Times reporters Emily Steel and Michael S. Schmidt, “the network’s parent company, 21st Century Fox, acknowledges that it was aware of the woman’s complaints about Mr. O’Reilly. They included allegations of repeated harassment, a nonconsensual sexual relationship and the sending of gay pornography and other sexually explicit material to her, according to the people briefed on the matter.”

The article sources “people familiar with the settlement, and documents obtained by The New York Times.”